


Taken by the Wind

by TalesFromLuka



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Alucard is nice but also hurt, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, During Canon, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Protagonist, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Loss of Parent(s), S3 exists but we fix it, i guess?, tags are hard man
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:14:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28807155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalesFromLuka/pseuds/TalesFromLuka
Summary: Luminita has spent most of her life on the run. Born a witch, the hospitality of homesteads, villages, and cities is not imparted unto her, and when her identity is revealed, she quickly flees. Living in the forest for several months, she knows to avoid the castle that looms in its center and focuses on her own survival. When a group of civilians finds her whereabouts, she is forced to throw caution to the wind and enter the castle. But what will happen at the hands of the son of Dracula? Only fate knows thea nswer
Relationships: Alucard (Castlevania)/Original Female Character(s), Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	Taken by the Wind

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Bare Arms of Trees](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23106346) by [stilastarla](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stilastarla/pseuds/stilastarla). 



> Hello! This is a fic I wrote after I watched all of season 3 and saw an opportunity to not necessarily fix, but at least give dear Alucard a chance to recover from his new trauma (the poor thing). I've read many other works in this genre and definitely recommend The Bare Arms of Trees as it was so good it drove me to take my own spin at this. I loved the strong reader that at times was a damsel in distress but at others was strong and could stand on their own. So I wanted to make one of my own. Please enjoy!
> 
> UPDATE 01/18: Didn't realize half of my end got copied wrong! It should be fixed now

Forests were always a place of safety. Away from the world of men, the laws of nature ruled supreme. They were simple, kinder. There was no prejudice in its judgment nor in the creatures it kept. In its supposed wildness, there was a hidden peace. Luminita found herself in the forest more often than not. Staying under the canopy of branches felt more like home than a roof ever would. There was a time where perhaps she felt the opposite, but that was long ago. Now, the grass beneath her feet was the heirloom rug she cherished and the broad trunks of trees were the chair by the fire. She was comfortable here, but safety was not something that was guaranteed. 

Monsters and beasts were of no concern to her. For villages, they were a thing to be feared. A hapless adventurer might have retreated to their home in fear. She paid them no mind so long as they paid no mind to her. Beasts were an occasional tragedy, but she did need to eat and they provided food that she rationed for as long as she could. The one thing she did fear was man. Villages had once been a safe haven, a place she could stay in her travels. But the word of man was just as deadly as their weapons. Hospitality turned to hostility and freedom was only reached through escape. Luminita long grew accustomed to it: there was no good treatment for a witch even with good intentions. It was no surprise that the ever fearsome Dracula had lost his wife over a simple misunderstanding. Lisa Tepes died an innocent woman and she feared what would happen to her as one who was guilty. She was right to fear it. 

As night began to creep into the next day, she sat at the base of a tree huddled up to the last embers of a fire. The dusk brought with it a harsh chill, one that signalled the beginnings of winter. Her tattered remains of a dress would need to be mended. She'd need a fur to keep warm. Luminita sighed as she saw her breath stick to the air. Winter was the hardest season to survive. She had time to prepare, but the elements were unpredictable at times. She pulled her knees to her chest to try and drift into a slumber. Or at least she would have had there not been a snap in the woods behind her. As if all energy flooded back into her body, she stood quickly. Her powder blue eyes danced in the firelight as she tried to find the source. A group of men lingered behind the tree where she sat. Witch hunters, she should've expected as much. They had a knack for tracking her down, but seemed to fail to kill her. Perhaps she was only lucky. 

Luminita crossed her arms as they stood in a standoff, an exasperated sigh leaving her lips. "How long did it take you?"

The torchbearer, the leader she assumed, stepped forward. "Doesn't matter. Such a shame that the devil touched you. Would've been nice to have a taste." There was a lecherous growl, a hungry smile on his lips. 

"Could always have our way with her before we bring her back. She already did half the work for us with that dress!" Another spoke with a grin. She almost pitied him. It must be hard for anyone to love a face like that. The missing teeth certainly didn't help.

The third and the fourth man behind them stepped forward with a laugh, prompting her to step back. It was not out of fear, but rather to lull them into a sense that she would be easily captured. Though she wished she'd kept her shoes at that moment: being barefoot in a forest was easy when you knew where to step, but dangerous when you threw caution to the wind. Her gaze went to his torch, an idea coming quickly to mind.

"Well, as tempting as your offer seems, gentlemen, I am afraid that I will have to disappoint you." She brought her hands to her side, feeling for the tree behind her. 

"I don't think you will. I like some fight in my women. Makes you taste so much sweeter." His eyes glowed with cruelty and lust. Men were rarely better than slaves to carnality. Yet, she was the abomination not them. 

"If that's the case, then let me offer you a taste." Raising her hand, the flame in his torch grew larger. The screams that escaped him drew the attention away from her, and she took the opportunity where it was. Her heart fluttered in her ears as she sprinted deeper into the mess of trees. Footsteps followed in a pursuit, taunts lingering in the air as she widened the distance between them. She stumbled as she reached the river, allowing her a chance to catch her breath. Her feet stung as they rested in the water, lungs ached as she gulped for air. 

She only stood when she heard the shouts grow closer, the whistle of arrows near her. She needed to go somewhere anywhere and the place she chose was the one she'd been avoiding. Only a fool would enter Dracula's castle, regardless of the man's death. The place was an omen, a reminder of a cursed time. She had to enter if she wanted to survive. Surely, there was a room she could hide in, a corridor to lose them in. The fresh bodies in front would have warded off anyone else, but they were the last shred of hope she had for survival. 

Breaking into a pained sprint, she moved until she reached the castle steps. Luminita tumbled onto the steps with a wince that quickly became a scream. An arrow struck her in the back, pain creeping as fast as blood spilled from it. Another hit her side at a worse angle as she turned to examine it. She struggled to scramble to her feet as she took the last few steps into her sanctuary. The marble floor was frigid on her bare feet, even harder as she flipped onto her good side. It was a crawl at that point to get further in. Perhaps this was no sanctuary after all. She was roughed onto her back as one of the men took her knotted black tresses and yanked her back. 

She could smell his burnt flesh as he brought a blade to her throat, his lips close to her ear. "Listen, Satan's whore. I would've been nice with you, but now you've turned my fucking face into _this_. So-"

"I assure you it's an improvement. Perhaps you won't need to resort to this when you return to whatever pigsty you come from." The arrow was pushed into her, a loud groan escaping her lips. She refused to scream again. 

"You're going to regret everything you just said." He pressed the knife deeper into her skin. Two of the men came in front of her, pinning her legs despite her kicking. The familiar sting of the blade began to dig into her throat. This was her end: forced against her will by a group of lecherous devils in a place befitting her death. Yet fate had other plans. 

The hands that were pushing the tattered strips of her dress aside suddenly stalled, a glimmer of steel the only hint that anything occurred. The sudden feel of moisture told her everything she needed to know. The knife in her neck became tense. The man whisked her onto her feet. 

"What the hell was that? You did this? Didn't you?" At her refusal to answer, the knife was uncomfortably put further into the cut it'd left. "Answer me, you devil woman." She remained silent. 

"Sorceress, I cannot help you if you cannot help yourself." A voice filled the hall with an echo. The man looked precariously around, his friend coming behind them. 

"She's summoned the Devil to save her! Kill her before she can do something again. Let he-" Suddenly, the blade was in his throat before his head hit the ground. 

"The Devil? I am no Devil." The source of the voice was before them. A young man, barely older than her, in a white billowy shirt. Golden curls flowed to the deep opening that revealed his chest, and angry red scar marking it. His lips parted enough to see the glisten of fangs. A vampire. Son of Dracula. Alucard. 

"If you come any closer, I'll gut her right now." His hand moved to the arrow in her back, her body tensing for the preemptive pain. "Do not test me, Satan."

A laugh escaped him as he looked at the man. Humans were always such a curious sort. "I assure you I am not the Devil nor is she my consort as you'd like to believe." He paused, his golden eyes looking directly at Luminita. "Sorceress, will you let him restrain you any longer? I am growing tired of this charade in my castle."

As the cretin behind her shouted in fear back at Alucard, Luminita focused on herself. The knife on her throat, the trickles of blood that followed. She had resigned herself to this fate: a death at the hands of a beast. She closed her eyes as if to do so finally. Her neck bore more for all to see. Then a spark came within her. No, this would not be her end. Not by a pig like him.

She began murmuring something in Latin at a fast pace, her hands rising as her fingers probed the air. She continued as the man turned his attention to her, the tension increasing to the point the knife was loose. 

"Wh-What are you saying?" His eyes were panicked as he went to Alucard. "What is she saying?"

A smile crept to his face as he watched her. He caught on quickly to her deceit. "I believe she is signing your death sentence." 

As the man tried to push the knife back into her throat, it was ripped from her throat. Luminita took the moment to break from his grasp. Her feet were in pain but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of her pained face. So, she kept a straight face, elegantly balancing on her tiptoes as she moved his hand with the knife closer to his neck.

" _Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo._ " Her face scowled as she moved her hand in a sweeping motion. She jumped back as his crimson fell over him like a river onto the marble floor. "Amen."

There was a smile on her face as he finally fell. Quickly it was replaced with the pain as she put weight on her whole foot again. Her legs gave out below her. Just as she was about to hit the floor, gentle arms gently cradled her. That's when she saw him up close. For the son of Dracula, there was nothing to show for it. His eyes looked over her with curiosity at first, or so she thought. Or perhaps, he could smell her blood and wanted to take a taste before it faded away. Neither seemed to frighten her. 

"The Lord's prayer? An odd piece of knowledge for a Sorceress to hold." He was still, a tranquil gaze kept over her. 

"They know nothing of their scripture as they accuse me of abhorring it." She scoffed a laugh. A mistake: pain waved through her abdomen. "Why do you insist on calling me Sorceress?"

His gaze seemed solemn then, a sigh leaving his lips. "Men like to demonize things they don't understand. Knowledge, Magic, Science. They put a name to those who possess it and rid the world of them for no other reason than hubris and power. As they did my mother."

Lisa Tepes. It would be hard to forget that name when she was in the same situation. Her face tensed from a mixture of pain and regret. Alucard continued, "Yet I cannot detest them. It is not what my mother would've wanted." Slowly, he turned to move towards the stairs. "Why did you come here? You are not a fool. You know what this castle is." 

Luminita would've tried to get out of his grasp had she not been so injured. That and a simple fall onto marble could possibly injure her more. "I kept away as long as I could. I saw the piked bodies and knew not to enter. I thought they would too or I would find a way to lose them." She winced in pain as she gestured to her abdomen. "I did not expect to be impaled." 

The more she spoke, the more her vision began to fade from either exhaustion or the beginnings of blood loss. How ironic to be losing blood in front of a vampire. Yet he didn't seem to mind. "I must ask you to do something uncomfortable and apply pressure to the wound in your side. For as long as you can." 

She bit her lip but he was quick to make a disapproving sound. "As much as I hate the sound, you can scream or groan. I'd rather you not spill more blood than necessary. It will take awhile to clean the entryway after all."

Shooting a glare, she released her lip before doing as he said. Predictably, a loud groan of pain swiftly escaped her lips. "Why are you helping me? Would I not be better as a meal? I've heard the blood of my kind is irresistible."

He looked down at her with a gentle gaze before continuing to walk down a corridor. "Because you have not been treated with kindness. And I will grant you one. Only one. Besides, I do _eat_. Having a human mother is helpful in that."

Her gaze softened as she managed a laugh. "I would call you a saint but I suspect neither of us truly are. No one is."

There was a silence before she began to feel her fingers go numb. Her breath slowed, the grips of blackness narrowing in on her eyes. Alucard was quick to open the door of a room. It wasn't the most expansive: it was clearly a guest room. Decorations were scarce but welcoming. Thick curtains pulled together tightly to prevent any light from coming in. She was hoping he'd lay her on the bed, but he cleared a small table, placing her on her unwounded side. 

"What is your name?" He crouched at her side, gazing at her quizzically. "I will need to remove your clothes in order to tend to your wounds and I feel that some dignity should be given even if it is only your name." 

She began to pant albeit slowly, the shock on her body taking over from her initial high. "Luminita."

"Luminita." He repeated, rising to his feet. He seemed to watch her for a moment, silence filled by her breathing. "I'm going to have to leave you only for a moment. There are supplies I need."

She felt her eyes flutter as she met his gaze. "If I die, please don't turn me into those omens. I want to be buried. It's my right." She reached weakly for his wrist, but he caught it with both of his. 

"You will not die. Not at the hands of monsters who call themselves men." He cradled her hand a moment longer before placing it at her side. "You've given me no reason to do such a thing. Let it stay that way."

She felt a twitch of a smile gracing her lips as her eyelids grew too heavy to keep open. "Son of Dracula...you're nothing like him." The pain was growing and yet her mind was taking her to a place where she wouldn't feel it. And with her waning consciousness, she could only make out one final response. 

"That is the only foolish thing you've said tonight."

* * *

In a cold sweat, Luminita arose with a rabbit's pulse. She shot up quickly, unaware of her surroundings and consequently her injuries as well. Her dreams had a habit of melding with her memories, and it made acclimating all the more difficult. She let out a sharp exhale as the pain hit her, a hand covering where the wound was. Then the haze of dream lifted. She remembered where she was. 

Swinging her legs to the side of the bed, she was greeted with bandaged feet. Damn. She was usually so careful not to injure her feet. Walking would be painful in more ways than one. Putting pressure on them only confirmed that. Gritting her teeth, she rose to her feet. The post of the bed proved to be a support. After a few steps, the pain in her feet was bearable but it was hard to straighten up with her other wounds. 

She worked her way to walk towards the table, scrambling to grab onto it before she fell to the ground entirely. It was a lucky coincidence that she happened to fall into the table. She took a moment to catch her breath, going to the wall; though as she did, the door opened to reveal her benefactor. 

"After all that work, you try to ruin my handiwork." Alucard heaved a sigh, moving to place something on the table. A vial of some sort, and...food? That was a strange addition. "Saving a woman such as yourself from the brink of death was no easy task."

Luminita chuckled, "Did you not see? I am no easy woman." She straightened up, her eyes shut as pain nearly knocked the wind out of her. "I feel like death. How bad..was it?"

With another sigh, he gestured to her abdomen, his finger hovering close to her wound. "The one that was twisted into you was the hardest to fix. I have brought you some medicine however. It should ease the healing process further." He looked down at her feet with a displeased look, his lips curling downward only slightly. "You should be resting. I said I would afford you a kindness: there is no need to leave."

"We both know better than to trust blindly. I have dealt with worse pain and surely more is to come." As she tried to move past him, he brought his arm to grip her upper arm, pulling her back into the room. 

"You are in no shape to leave, Sorceress. I did not save you to see you die a mere half a day later." 

She scoffed, "'Tis not the only time I've nearly died. I can handle myself."

"Then why did you let those men come so close to killing you?"

She froze, feeling a mixture of anger and confusion clawing through her thoughts. "I didn't- The circumstances were-"

Alucard neared her before suddenly taking her into his arms. For the first time, she struggled against him. "What in the _hell_ do you think you're doing? Put me down! You want to be alone, just let me-" 

He placed her gently as he could on the bed with her thrashing, watching with wariness as she tried to reach for the flames in the fireplace. In a split moment, he moved on top of her. Her hands were pinned together with one of his. The glare in her blues meeting the one in his gilded orbs. 

"You could've destroyed those men with the flick of your wrist. Just as I could drain all the blood from that slender neck of yours. But I didn't and neither did you." She stopped her thrashing, gritting her teeth. "You gave up, Luminita. Not because you want to die, but because you are tired of fighting." 

Luminita wanted to scream, to deny his words. She wanted to tell him how he couldn't possibly know what she wanted or who she was. But it was true. She was tired. So, so tired. Yet she refused to let him have the last word on the matter. "How do I know you do not plan to preen me until I am ripe for the taking? My blood must be enticing. I'm told magicked blood is sweet, potent." 

Alucard tightened his grip around her wrists. "It is pitiful. How much the fight has left you." He lowered his face closer to hers, inches away. "I am giving you the opportunity to decide what you want. Whether it is to fight or to succumb. You will get back to proper conditions and then you will leave. That is my gift." 

"So you keep me as a prisoner." Her voice rose slightly, prompting a wince as she tried to free her wrists. "I do not like being caged, son of Dracula." 

"You are only a prisoner if you choose to see it that way." He frowned slightly, loosening the grip on her wrists. "And it appears you have." He removed himself from her. 

Surprisingly, she found little will to fight him further: perhaps her pain finally prevented her, or her realization that perhaps she did not truly know what she wanted. 

Alucard simply moved the tray closer to her. "The medicine is for the pain and for the healing process. I will bring bandages in two days for your wounds. Perhaps in between dressings, you can try to bathe." He turned then, his back turned to her. "You should be able to walk with some handicap by then. You are free to explore the castle as you wish. But stairs might agitate your wounds." 

"I cannot decide if you are my father, doctor, or torturer." She sighed, moving to a sitting position. He offered a smile, albeit a small one. 

"If this is what you consider torture, you must be quite lucky. Yet we both know it not to be the case." 

She scoffed into a laugh. "No. It is not." Her hand reached for the cup of purported panacea. She held back a scowl as she examined its viscosity. When her head perked back up, Alucard was near the door. 

"Alucard." She called out to him. He turned his head only slightly, signalling that he heard her. 

"Why?" 

His hand ran down the wall, turning to face her completely. "Perhaps you will learn with time." Without another word, he left the room. 

Alone with her thoughts, Luminita downed the liquid, staring at the food at her bedside. She ate if only to remove the putrid ichor from her tongue. And when she was done, that haze of drowsiness threatened to take her again. 

The question lingered as she decided to succumb to the will of her body. Did she want to live or did she simply want to surrender? And why did the son of Dracula bring this doubt upon her?


End file.
